Intel CEO Brian Krzanich used the Oval Office as a
backdrop Wednesday to formally announce the company’s $7 billion
investment in a new chip plant in Chandler, a long-delayed project that is expected
to create as many as high-tech 3,000 jobs in Arizona.

The project
has been planned for years and it will take another three to four years
for the company to star operations at the Fab 42 plant, what it is
calling one of the most advanced semiconductor factories ever.

The announcement was hailed by state leaders and by President Donald
Trump, who was on hand in the Oval Office but who let Krzanich do most
of the talking during the four-minute event.

“We’ll be completing that factory to make the most-advance
7-nanometer semiconductor chips on the planet,” Krzanich said, according
to a White House transcript of the announcement.

“This factory will produce, as I said, the most powerful computer
chips on the planet, powering the best computers, the best data centers,
autonomous cars. All of these devices are the most powerful computing
devices on the planet,” he said.

Intel is currently working on a timeline for the commercialization of
the 7-nanometer chip that would be produced in Chandler, so there’s
currently no start-date for the Fab 42 site, a company spokeswoman said.

While construction for Fab 42 began in 2011, these types of
developments are “complex, long-term projects,” said spokeswoman
Patricia Oliverio-Lauderdale in an email Wednesday. The decision to move
ahead was made after ongoing discussions Intel has been having with the
current administration, in addition to the necessity to meet a growing
demand for the company’s semiconductors and the availability of the
Chandler site.

This will be the third processing plant constructed in Chandler, said
Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, who said he was not surprised by today’s
announcement because of the close relationship between the city and
Intel.

“We felt that this was coming because we’re constantly working with
Intel on infrastructure and water and sewer issues,” he said. “So we
knew it was only a matter of time before that plant got back up and
running.”

Tibshraeny considers Intel a very important “business component” to
the city and sees the project as “one of the most significant projects
in the world.”

Intel, the largest private employer in Arizona, said that in addition to about 3,000 Intel jobs at the plant, another 7,000 indirect jobs would be created. In 2011, the company said that Fab 42 would directly employ about 1,000 workers.

In addition to the economic benefits it will bring to the state, Gov.
Doug Ducey said the Intel announcement also reflects defining
characteristics of what Arizona and its people represent.

“Intel’s commitment to Arizona speaks volumes about our workforce,
advanced educational infrastructure, business environment and commitment
to technology and innovation,” Ducey said in a statement released by
his office. “This represents a core area of Arizona expertise, advanced
engineering and manufacturing.”

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said Intel’s “high-paying jobs will be a
boon for the East Valley economy.” He said in a statement that he
welcomed the decision “to invest in Arizona’s workforce and President
Trump’s continued commitment to policies that facilitate job creation
here in the United States.”

While Trump has emphasized bringing jobs back to this country from
overseas, Krzanich said the Chandler plant will mean new jobs, not
relocated ones. He said the decision to make the announcement in the
White House was a bow to Trump administration’s “tax and regulatory
policies” that “really make it advantageous to do manufacturing in the
U.S.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, whose district includes Chandler, said in
a statement that the announcement is evidence of “a new era of business
opportunity across the country and will provide a better future for
many in the East Valley.” He credited the Republican push for cutting
regulations that has been “resetting the economic climate that has
beleaguered our nation’s businesses for the past decade.”

“I had a discussion today with Intel talking about how the city can
work close with them during the construction phase,” he said. “So I
think we’ll see them getting their building team onboard and get their
plans completed and then start construction.”

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Intel formally announced Wednesday that the company will go ahead with plans to develop an advanced semiconductor plant in Chandler. The Fab 42 site will cost $7 billion and bring as many as 10,000 jobs to the state.

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